Scott Forbes

{NOT-FOR-PARENT

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-PARENTS]

3CONTENTS2 Not-for-Parents CHINA

Introduction 4Descendants of the Dragon 6One at a Time, Please! 8Game On! 10Keeping It in the Family 12Looks Good on Paper 14How to Make People Look Small 16All the Tea in China 18Are You a Rat? 20The Terrible Tartars 22Flying High 24Citification! 26

Needles and…Cups? 28Now You See It… 30In Character 32The Chairman’s Revolution 34Two Wheels to Go 36The Secret of Silk 38Here, Have a Panda! 40If You Can’t Stand the Heat… 42A Handsome Return 44Hong’s Not-So-Heavenly Kingdom 46Never Mess with a Monk 48

He Wrote the Rules 50An Ill Wind 52The Oldest Show in Town 54One Big Buddha 56Made in China 58Going with the Grain 60A Little Corner of…Wherever 62How Cool Is That? 64You Can Take It with You 66A Bird in the Hand 68Taste Test 70

When China Went to Sea 72Gods and Monsters 74Long Way to the Top 76Balancing Acts 78A Drowned World 80What I Did on My Vacation 82The Write Stuff 84Cutting a Dash 86Fast Track to the Future 88Going off with a Bang 90Get Lucky! 92Index 94

CONTENTS

’sno joke visiting in winter!

hands up if you’re l� king forward to

this!

got r� m for me in your lu� age?

remember: always travel

light!

come on down! another world

awaits…it a� l� ks

g� d from up here!

let’s take it from the top!

5INTRODUCTION4 Not-for-Parents CHINA

THIS IS NOT A GUIDEBOOK. And it is definitely Not-for-parents.

IT IS THE REAL, INSIDE STORY about

one of the world’s most exciting countries – China.

In this book you’ll hear fascinating tales about ancient empires,

martial arts, the discovery of gunpowder and the first cup of tea.

Check out cool stories about ice sculptures, dust storms

bloodthirsty warriors and dragons. You’ll find acrobats, fighting crickets, futuristic buildings and some seriously weird snacks.

This book shows you a CHINA your parents

probably don’t even know about.

{NOT-FOR-PARENTS]

I got it a� going, you know. so you can start

by thanking me!

come on, slow coach!

WANTMORE?WANTWANTWANTWANTWANTWANTWANTWANTMORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?MORE?

6 Not-for-Parents CHINA

High fiveSome dragons might appear to be waving – showing off their credentials more like! Emperors decreed that only imperial dragons should have five toes. Dragons associated with commoners and foreigners had to have fewer.

High securityPlonk a dragon or two on a temple roof and demons won’t darken the door. Or so the theory goes.

Staying on sideChinese farmers never want to fall foul of dragons, for dragon gods are said to control the seas and weather. A well-timed offering to the gods might just ensure a good harvest!

Getting aheadDid you know that racing dragons is a 2000-year-old pastime? Admittedly they ‘re in the form of wooden boats with carved dragon-head prows. Just as well dragons are said to like water!

How to train a dragon?The best way is to assemble a team of 30 to 50 people then make a wood-and-fabric dragon up to 70m (230ft) long. Hold it aloft on long poles and coordinate your movements so the dragon seems to move naturally. Do it well and you might end up performing at New Year festivals.

THE FANTASTIC FOURThe azure dragon is one of four awesome mythical creatures associated with the seasons and stars. The other three are the fearsome white tiger, the splendid vermilion phoenix and, er, the black tortoise.

DESCENDANTS OF THE DRAGONFlashing fearsome fangs and talons, they frown at you from rooftops, loom above you on walls, stare at you from doorways and peer out of porcelain pots – dragons are everywhere in China. In the West they might be seen as evil beasts, but the Chinese believe they bring good luck – Chinese people even refer to themselves as the ‘descendants of the dragon’. So don’t be afraid: those scaly, scary-faced, sharp-clawed critters are there to help!

7DESCENDANTS OF THE DRAGON

s� : five and five! that’s er … eh, hang

on, is it nine?

aw, hang on guys, wait for me!

it’s my flaming

ba� !

no, it’s mine!

how long is this race going

to drag on?

Dragons myths http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/212Traditions1324.html

WANTMORE?

8 Not-for-Parents CHINA

ONE AT A TIME, PLEASELet’s hope you’re a people person because China is one packed place. It has the world’s biggest population (1.3 billion) and is home to nearly one in five of all the people on Earth. In 1978, the government decided that the country was getting so crowded that from then on each family could have only one child. That slowed population growth, but more than 300 million babies have been born since – as many people as live in the entire United States!

okay, i can s� it now. turn right, dad.

have you got my ru� er duck

down there?

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALLIf you want room to move, head west, where huge areas have few or even no people. Of course, that’s mainly because they are freezing cold mountains and scorching, sandy wastelands like the Gobi Desert. Not exactly inviting!

About 50,000 babies are born in China every

day – roughly 35 a minute.Saltwater sardines

Fancy a quiet swim? Well, you’d best avoid this saltwater swimming pool in the city of Suining in Sichuan Province. Up to 10,000 people pack the pool every day in summer and more than one million take a dip here each year.

It’s all about me!Some people think the one-child policy has resulted in a generation of spoiled children with little idea of how to interact with others. The Chinese call these kids ‘little emperors’ or ‘little empresses’.

When push comes to shovePersonal space is at a premium in cities like Shanghai. Vast crowds throng the streets and you’ll have to jostle for space – never mind a seat – on trains and buses.

Oi! Wake up and move along. more coming through!

9ONE AT A TIME, PLEASE!

China 19.3%

world population

india 17%

USA 4.8%

Rest of world 58.9%

ah, peace at last! now where

did i put my water bo� le?

get out of my way!

WANTMORE?

Latest population � gures www.chinatoday.com/data/china.population.htm

Title – address

10 Not-for-Parents CHINA

WANTMORE?

IN THE RED CORNER...Since the Middle Ages, crickets have been bred to do battle. Urged on by spectators, two crickets push, jostle and jab until one backs down. Champions change hands for big money.

Shape shiftingYou don’t need to know any Chinese to play tangram. Simply use the pieces to make shapes including animals, buildings and people.

On the tilesMahjong is like a card game played with tiles instead of cards. It became a craze in the West in the 1920s after it was introduced to the United States by Joseph Park Babcock.

Black and whiteGo is the world’s oldest board game, dating back at least 4000 years. The aim is to surround your opponent’s pieces with yours.

Chinese chessFirst played around AD 700, xianqi is a strategy game similar to Western chess. The contest represents a battle between two armies, each trying to capture the opposing general.

The popular Western game of Chinese

chequers is not Chinese but was invented in Germany in 1892.

bringing that li� le st� l was

such a crafty move!

3, 2, 1…ready for lift-o� !

Look, no hands!Jianzi, or kick shuttlecock, dates back to the 5th century BC. Players have to keep the shuttlecock in the air using their feet and any other parts of their body – except their hands.

11GAME ON!

Learn how to play mahjong http://mahjong.uchicago.edu/home.shtml

In a spinA Chinese yo-yo consists of a

pair of sticks joined by a long

string, along which you whirl

wooden discs. Skilled players

wow spectators with dazzling

tricks. In the West, the game is

known as diabolo.

GAME ONChess and chequers, dominoes and cards, yo-yos and shuttlecocks – in China there’s always a game on somewhere. You’ll see people playing in homes, streets and playgrounds, cafes, parks and gardens. Many games date back hundreds of years and have been exported to other parts of the world. Some might be familiar, but others are like nothing you’ve ever seen before!

4998, 4999…time to

change legs!

okay, you hit me with a right and i’� go

down. let’s get this over with quickly.